"This man loves South Carolina," Haley said during a press conference at the state capitol. "It was with that that I knew that he was the right person. I have no doubt that he will fly through 2014."

Both Scott and DeMint appeared with Haley at the news conference, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and the rest of the state's Republican congressional delegation.

Scott, who has represented South Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2011, will become the first black Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate since Edward Brooke (R-Mass.) left his seat in 1979. He will also be the state's first African American senator since the 19th century, as well as the only African American in the Senate.